Is A&M in 2013 the Arky of 2012?

rgw

Suspended
Sep 15, 2003
20,852
1,351
232
Tuscaloosa
Matthews could have probably went in the lower part of the first round this year. I think he stayed to play LT for a season and get into the top 10 picks. The big reason why I like our chances in this game is because I think the perimeter of our front seven is going to be much more experienced next season. Also, we have the whole off-season to prep for our first two teams which have mobility at QB...and we get a bye before TAMU to further prep on Manziel specifically.

They lose a good bit at WR and the OL, but they seem to have good interior OL depth and Evans looks like a stud at WR himself. They're going to be good but I think we have more of the external/scheduling factors in our favor this time around. I'd much rather have MSU on post-LSU letdown week than a team with a lively offense.
 

selmaborntidefan

TideFans Legend
Mar 31, 2000
36,432
29,735
287
54
Hmm... So y'all are saying that Saban was taken by surprise by Johnny last year. That he didn't have the 9 game films including Fl and LSU who contained him in the 2nd half of their games.
Yes. Do you honestly think he watched nine game films between Saturday night in Baton Rouge and Saturday afternoon?
 

rgw

Suspended
Sep 15, 2003
20,852
1,351
232
Tuscaloosa
Saban did hint that he thought not playing Geno Smith more early in the season was a bad decision. They exploited some issues with our nickel defense which weren't exactly unknown going into the game. McCarron had a bad first half, they exploited our 3 safety nickel until Saban took it off the field. We steadied our defense enough to give us a chance with a true 3 corner nickel but too much damage was done to dig out of the hole.

We learned from the mistake, Geno stepped up down the stretch, and we got good enough in the secondary to not get completely decimated by the best passing offense in the SEC (UGA) in the conference title game. I think we should be better equipped to handle them next year.
 

AggieMom

Suspended
Nov 19, 2012
57
0
0
Huntsville, AL
Matthews could have probably went in the lower part of the first round this year. I think he stayed to play LT for a season and get into the top 10 picks. The big reason why I like our chances in this game is because I think the perimeter of our front seven is going to be much more experienced next season. Also, we have the whole off-season to prep for our first two teams which have mobility at QB...and we get a bye before TAMU to further prep on Manziel specifically.

They lose a good bit at WR and the OL, but they seem to have good interior OL depth and Evans looks like a stud at WR himself. They're going to be good but I think we have more of the external/scheduling factors in our favor this time around. I'd much rather have MSU on post-LSU letdown week than a team with a lively offense.
Thanks for the kind words. Coming from the Big 12, I never remember opposing teams putting so much emphasis on scheduling an off week before a particular game. That apparently is something that is a big part of the Alabama strategy, since such a large percentage of the fans bring it up. Has it always been that way or something that is Saban specific? I haven't been on other SEC team boards, so I don't know if they talk about their teams off weeks in the same way. Only on this board because I live in Alabama.
 

buzzincuzzin

All-American
Jan 8, 2006
4,963
0
0
73
Couple of years back we had six teams have the week off before playing us.Yes it makes a difference in the SEC after the first month.
 

TIDE-HSV

Senior Administrator
Staff member
Oct 13, 1999
84,527
39,616
437
Huntsville, AL,USA
Emphatic NO! Year before last, when we lost three games, six of the teams we played had open dates before us. We raised so much hell that the SEC office was forced into remedying the situation..

Thanks for the kind words. Coming from the Big 12, I never remember opposing teams putting so much emphasis on scheduling an off week before a particular game. That apparently is something that is a big part of the Alabama strategy, since such a large percentage of the fans bring it up. Has it always been that way or something that is Saban specific? I haven't been on other SEC team boards, so I don't know if they talk about their teams off weeks in the same way. Only on this board because I live in Alabama.
 

Rasputin

Suspended
Apr 15, 2008
5,686
1
0
Yes. Do you honestly think he watched nine game films between Saturday night in Baton Rouge and Saturday afternoon?
If Saban was "taken by surprise" as you seem to think he was by J. Manziel than all of the blame for the loss should be on the coaching staff...

Of course I know this was not the case...
 

TIDE-HSV

Senior Administrator
Staff member
Oct 13, 1999
84,527
39,616
437
Huntsville, AL,USA
Actually there are YouTube videos out there of Saban talking before and after the A&M game where it is apparent that he had watched game films. My statements were rhetorical.
JM at the beginning of the season was not the same player as he was as the season wore on. We made some mistakes and you got some very fortunate ball bounces. I've never in my life seen a ball fumbled straight up in the air return to the QB in time for him to find an open man. I have no doubt AJ, as well as many other good QBs can make that throw, when the receiver is standing open at the back of the EZ. Next season's game will more resemble the last three quarters of this season, rather than the first quarter...
 

TIDE-HSV

Senior Administrator
Staff member
Oct 13, 1999
84,527
39,616
437
Huntsville, AL,USA
I guess I thought scheduling was done "blindly". Are you saying that isn't so?
Roy Kramer was the SEC Executive Director before Slive and absolutely hated Bama with a vitriolic intensity. As soon as he could after retirement, he hied himself to Maryville, TN. While he was still directing the SEC, he served on the search committee for the next UT basketball coach, if that gives you a sense of his bias. The conference schedule is made several years in advance and 2010 was his last chance to screw Bama and he succeeded. That team had more talent than the next two national champs. After 2010, the changes to the schedule started to make things more equitable...
 

AggieMom

Suspended
Nov 19, 2012
57
0
0
Huntsville, AL
Roy Kramer was the SEC Executive Director before Slive and absolutely hated Bama with a vitriolic intensity. As soon as he could after retirement, he hied himself to Maryville, TN. While he was still directing the SEC, he served on the search committee for the next UT basketball coach, if that gives you a sense of his bias. The conference schedule is made several years in advance and 2010 was his last chance to screw Bama and he succeeded. That team had more talent than the next two national champs. After 2010, the changes to the schedule started to make things more equitable...
Wouldn't it be "more equitable" if it were done "blindly"?
 

TIDE-HSV

Senior Administrator
Staff member
Oct 13, 1999
84,527
39,616
437
Huntsville, AL,USA
Wouldn't it be "more equitable" if it were done "blindly"?
The glaring inequities towards Bama, which got a lot of national press you weren't paying attention to, couldn't have been corrected "blindly." In fact, I'm not sure I know what "blindly" even means - pieces of paper in a basket?
 

AggieMom

Suspended
Nov 19, 2012
57
0
0
Huntsville, AL
JM at the beginning of the season was not the same player as he was as the season wore on. We made some mistakes and you got some very fortunate ball bounces. I've never in my life seen a ball fumbled straight up in the air return to the QB in time for him to find an open man. I have no doubt AJ, as well as many other good QBs can make that throw, when the receiver is standing open at the back of the EZ. Next season's game will more resemble the last three quarters of this season, rather than the first quarter...
The Saban YouTube videos were from the week between LSU and aTm game and immediately after the aTm game. I think everyone was amazed at JM's good fortune with the fumbled ball, but many were also amazed at his ability to "keep his wits about him" as Danielson said. As Rasputin pointed out, I don't think anyone thinks that Saban was surprised by JM.
 

AggieMom

Suspended
Nov 19, 2012
57
0
0
Huntsville, AL
The glaring inequities towards Bama, which got a lot of national press you weren't paying attention to, couldn't have been corrected "blindly." In fact, I'm not sure I know what "blindly" even means - pieces of paper in a basket?
Well I would say "blindly" means where one team wasn't given a more favorable schedule even if it was to make up for past "inequities". I guess it is a moot point though with me, since i don't see an off week as that much of an advantage in the second week of the season. Sorry, even though I lived in Alabama at the time in question, I didn't follow Alabama football. Always followed the Aggies.
 
Last edited:

Latest threads

TideFans.shop : 2024 Madness!

TideFans.shop - Get YOUR Bama Gear HERE!”></a>
<br />

<!--/ END TideFans.shop & item link \-->
<p style= Purchases made through our TideFans.shop and Amazon.com links may result in a commission being paid to TideFans.